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One of my favorite books of all time was Time and Again, by the great Jack Finney. The book tells the story of a young man who with a bit of assistance from the government (clandestine of course) was able to engage in time travel. No equipment required though. All he had to do was make himself open to the experience. Time passes but it doesn’t really pass. It is still there if we know how to relate to it. The book’s star was residing, at the request of his coconspirators, at Manhattan’s famous Dakota building. After quite some time trying to figure out how to be open to the experience, and many false starts, he simply woke up one morning, went outside and it was the later 19th century. He had taken up the past’s invitation to visit.

It reminded me of what I try to see when visiting a place with the past. I do wish I could visit it for real (of course, I’m sure I would have no idea how to cope but what fun is it to think about that). Sometimes you can find a door or at least a window to the past, an object, an artifact, a story, a book. Walking along what was once the Blackstone Canal ins Uxbridge, MA it’s easy to hear history’s rumblings. In the Blackstone Heritage Corridor Park you’re walking along the towpath after all. A team of mules pulled the canal boats along the journey from Worcester to Providence. If it’s quiet, it is easy to ponder what it was like when the towpath was actually in use, in the early 1800’s. For me, one of the windows into that state of reverie are the intense reflections that can be seen there on a calm day.. They are intense enough to be disorienting and I offer you a small collection here. I resisted the temptation to turn them upside down. You’re welcome.

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As we dig into the story of the Blackstone River and Canal a bit more, it becomes that much more interesting. The Canal ran parallel to the River for most of the River’s length and only actually utilized the River as a resource in those places, few in number, where the River was navigable. The Canal ran from Worcester, MA to Pawtucket, RI and was a key means of transportation at a time when transportation was more than a bit challenging. However, the Canal itself only operated for a relatively brief period of time, from 1828 till 1848, twenty short years. Canal transportation was disrupted as a technology by the new high tech rage: the railroad. The trains began to run from Worcester to Providence in 1835 and in just a few short years the Canal was no longer financially viable. That is a relatively short life cycle for such an expensive engineering project, costing at it’s construction $750,000. The Canal fell into disrepair in relatively short order.

One of the best places to see the Canal is the River Bend Farm, in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, now operated by the National Park Service. When we first visited, the still water was striking, offering some of the best forest reflections I’ve ever seen.

It is really quite stunning all along the old Canal. It is also, however, quite pristine, leading to the assumption that it had been spruced up by the National Park Service. That’s true, but there’s more to the story than that. The Canal had been repurposed in the early 20th Center, converting it into a rather significant source of stored energy, a giant battery if you will. About one mile north of the visiting center is a Dam diverting water from the River into what was at that a time a rebuilt Canal. The height of the walls was increased to allow for the storage of more water. Moving further south from the Visitor’s center, about one mile, one finds evidence of it’s alternative purpose.

These turbines are part of a complex power generation scheme designed ultimately to run the Stanley Woolen Mill in Uxbridge.

Water from the Canal ran directly into the factory to turn the looms and related machinery.

It must have been an impressive project, suggestive of some very visionary thinking, along with some very deep pockets. The Mills continued on at this location until 1988, a much longer run than the Canal. The story is an interesting tale of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs often create products or services that are intended for one thing, but end up being far more valuable for another. Think iPhone turns into camera. Certainly not what I would have predicted. The Canal was intended for transportation but it ended up facilitating the industrial revolution in the United States. This of course involved massive exploitation of resources resulting in wealth creation, jobs, and environmental damage. Note that this source of energy was, in fact, renewable. That’s good right, but in fact damming a river even for useful power also has its consequences. The owners of the Mill created a giant and now beautiful battery, but the truth remains. There’s no free lunch.

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Welcome to the environmental photography and sustainability blog of James M. Hunt. Chris, my wife, and I care deeply about our natural environment and in particular those places, beings and phenomena that may not get the attention that they deserve, in spite of their importance. Since the places we tend to frequent may receive a bit less attention, we're often engaged in a process of discovery ourselves. We'll let you know here something of what we learn along the way. Thanks for taking the time to join us.

All images on this site are copyright (c) James M. Hunt, 2010 through 2016 all rights are reserved. No use of any image posted here without written consent.
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FINE ART PRINTING OF WESTBOROUGH
James is also the proprietor of Fine Art Printing of Westborough, a printing, scanning, and photo restoration business operating in Westborough, Massachusetts. You can see the link below. Inquiries are welcomed!